Snowmarchers (People)
The people of the cold northlands, the nation of the Snow Marches is less of a combined nation and more of a collective of clans. With a strong, familial social structure, the largest families who own the most land become the center of the clan, while other families or rogues and vagabonds from other groups join in to fill out the clan proper. With each clan led by a High Thane, the ruling patriarch, they seek to provide lands, homes, and security to all who live under their banner, while the people of their clan provide social and political support, military might and training, and agricultural prosperity. While the rest of the world regards the Snow Marches as a single unified power, they are, in fact, at odds with one another almost as often as they are with neighboring nations. It is a well known fact, however, that an outside threat will provide the bonding agent between the clans, giving them a singular purpose to unify against whatever threatens their northern ways of life. While there is no hard and fast border that marks where Harsonia or Ukinda end and the Snow Marches begins, if there were, it would run through the Erengil Mountains, then cut southeast through the Bukmar Forest, and run along the eastern edge of the Bjarbuk River until it meets the coast. The lands north of the Erengil mountains are relatively cold and dry, but offer their fair share of farmland bordered by rocky hills, while the lands to the west are considerably more forested and broken, with canyons, ridges, ravines and cliffs. The lands east and south of Bukmar Forest are hilly and rich with fertile soil, perfect for farming and growing vegetables and fruits. The lands around the eastern shores of Uldermere Lake are especially known for their prosperous vineyards. As one travels north, they leave the rolling green hills and pine forests behind and enter into the cold tundra, permafrost, and eventually the harsh winds of the Northern Flats. Snowmarchers enter into all walks of life, but largely their paths are determined by their closeness to the ruling clan family. If a member of Clan Blackwing is from the family Blackwing, for instance, they will have access to the best resources and opportunities provided by that clan, allowing them to pursue any vocation or profession they wish, from military leader to politician to merchant to sage or seer, or even as a councilor to the High Thane or an aide to the High Thane’s immediate family. Similarly, if one is a member of a family married into family Blackwing, they will have ample opportunity and will want for nothing in life, as long as their family remains in good standing with family Blackwing. As you progress outward from there, however, opportunities become more and more scarce. By three families removed, an individual would have to work exceptionally hard to become a military officer, and will likely never have the ear of any of Blackwing’s immediate family. Smiths, farmers, fishermen, traders, millers, foresters, frontiersmen, stablemasters, and the like are all examples of the types of trade other Snowmarchers learn and hone throughout their lives. Regardless of their closeness to the ruling family, when a High Thane commits his clan to a conflict, all families in the clan are expected to devote a minimum of two members to the war effort, preferably both as soldiers. Many families devote as many adult, able-bodied individuals as they can, as the quantity of armed and trained family members often becomes bragging rights amongst rival families. High Thanes consider overall family size when approving or disapproving of marriage propositions, and while marriages are rarely arranged, it isn’t unheard of for a son or daughter to be ‘convinced’ that the offspring of a wealthy and prosperous family is more beneficial than one of a small family.